Catherine Girard

Catherine Girard is a Research Fellow at the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and core member of the Paleontology Team at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM). ISEM represents a multi-institutional collaboration between the University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, CIRAD, and INRAP, focusing on evolutionary biodiversity research.

Her research investigates organism-environment interactions during the Late Devonian mass extinctions (380-360 Ma). Using conodonts as model organisms, she applies:

• Geometric morphometrics to quantify fossil shape variations
• Stable isotope geochemistry (δ¹⁸O for paleothermometry, δ⁴⁴Ca for trophic ecology)

This interdisciplinary approach reconstructs how marine ecosystems responded to extreme climate perturbations. Key research domains include:

• Paleontological analysis of extinction patterns
• Biomechanical adaptations in conodont elements
• Chemical proxy development for deep-time environments
• Crisis interval stratigraphy

She maintains active collaborations across ISEM's partner institutions but currently has no listed students, awards, or publications in the source material.